Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Summary: Katniss Everdeen’s sister was picked for the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games were established a long time ago when one district of thirteen tried to rebel against the capital. After squashing the rebellion, every year one boy and girl is picked from each district to go and take part in the Hunger Games, which is a battle to the death. Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place. Will she and the boy from her district survive? Will the other kids?

Why I Started This Book:

My teacher told me about it. She said it was a really good book. All my friends who have had the opportunity to read this book have loved the book. I also like Suzanne Collins as an author. It was a no brainer to pick this book up and read it.

Likes:

I like how the Game Makers are in control of the game. They’re there to make sure that the audience is entertained. It reminds me a bit of the Roman Coliseum and the games of the gladiators.

The weird creatures – mockingjays, tracker jackets (kind of like wasps) with hallucinating venom, and the wolf-human tribute hybrids.

I like the setup of the story with the districts and the capital and the games. I really love how it’s supposed to be a futuristic society but that it seems so current too.

Suzanne Collins always ends a chapter with something exciting, gross, or foreshadowing that makes you want to immediately start the next without a moment’s hesitation. She’s really good at keeping your interest in that way.

Dislikes:

One of the themes that Suzanne Collins writes about is war and the cruelty it imposes on children. It bothered me at first that it was kids going into the Hunger Games but the story soon sweeps you away.

I was disappointed how the book just kind of ended. I was expecting it to continue for a while more and do some more wrap up.

Last Minute Thoughts:I didn’t want to finish the book because I didn’t have book two to start right away, but I did finish it and now I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, Catching Fire!

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3 thoughts on “Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins”

I just finished reading Hunger Games myself. I would definitely give it 5 treasure chests! It was sooo good!

I agree with your first dislike. The whole kids and war thing is kind of eerie. As much as I like the book I would never want to enter into the Hunger Games!

I am Team Peeta through and through. Peeta is a bit like Edward Cullen… well he had a similar line to Edward’s about watching Katniss sleep. I guess watching girls sleeping is really entertaining to boys. Peeta is sweet, kind, generous, and funny.

I can’t wait until the movie Hunger Games comes out in 2011. Not soon enough if you ask me! I can’t wait to read Catching Fire myself!

Okay so I would just like to say that while your likes show a lot of the meaning in the book, by saying you don’t like the kids being involved in the war part I don’t think you really get it. This book isn’t just a simple story with no underling meaning and warning, and it is definitely not meant to be a romance where you choose sides (the romance is more of a filler in the plot, got that “Captain Yarr”?).
This book is showing the influence of a totalitarian government and just how much control it can have over the people. Not only that but it hints at possible ways a society such as this one could have come into existence. From there it shows how much influence one simple person rebelling for all to see can have. Even if Katniss had ended up dying from the poison berries her mark would have been made. She wasn’t just finding a way for both her and Peeta to survive, she was essentially giving the Capital the middle finger.
Anyways now that I’ve had my basic lecture I hope you’s stop to think about it for a bit. The Hunger Games weren’t written to entertain, they’re a message and warning about humans and societal structure.